Ankeny sports notebook: Basketball, wrestling

With a young team featuring two senior starters and multiple underclassmen getting significant playing time, Brandt Carlson knew that his Ankeny boys’ basketball team would have some learning experiences, especially early on.

The Hawks’ opener at Des Moines Hoover was certainly that. Facing off with a traditional state and metro power which checked in at No. 9 in the Register’s preseason Super 10 rankings, Ankeny gave the Huskies everything they wanted. The Hawks led by 12 with three-plus minutes to go before Hoover put together a furious rally for a 59-57 win. Friday, Marshalltown dropped Ankeny to 0-2 with a 57-47 victory.

“We’re young and we’re going to have some interesting situations,” Carlson said. “The Hoover game was definitely the case. It was a very interesting dynamic. I thought our guys played well down the stretch and executed what we wanted to do, but we had three, four young players make turnovers. It’s really unfortunate, because the guys worked had. Hoover competed and finished the game strong, a classic CIML game. I definitely think we’ll learn and grow from it.”

Carlson said Hoover’s pressure eventually wore down his team, forcing young players to over-dribble, which led to turnovers.

“They tried to dribble through the trap and we had some defensive lapses and fouling on layups,” he said. “It kind of snowballed on us. They made free throws down the stretch, three 3-pointers and two and-ones, three unbelievable shots that went down. I think the pressure was great and it was a combination of that and being in the stress of the game time, young and not being in that environment before.”

The opener showed Carlson that “our kids aren’t afraid of anyone,” but was particularly happy with senior forward Ben Lyon (who had 17 points and 12 rebounds) as well as sophomore Jaxon Smith, sophomore Jordan Kumm and sophomore Nolan Otten.

He said the late lead “showed our guys that we can do this – and we’re going to keep growing.” “Watching the film I think guys will say, ‘See, we can make plays and hit open people,” he said. “Me as a coach, I’m continually training what we want to do in those moments. They can be hesitant to go score in those moments but we want our team to try and continue to score. Our confidence will increase from this loss and help us grow and reach our goals.”

Centennial boys drop opener

It could take a little while to see the real Ankeny Centennial boys’ basketball team emerge. This week, the Jaguars played nine players in their opening games, but are still not at full strength with multiple players recovering from injuries sustained during football season. Coach Bob Fontana said getting a full-strength, healthy roster could take until Christmas break.

Following a 62-52 loss to Des Moines North Friday night, the Jaguars are 0-2.

Fontana knew his team needed improvement following a season-opening 54-36 loss to Dowling Catholic. Centennial struggled from the floor, shooting 29 percent from the field.

“We were very disappointed in the loss,” Fontana said. “We didn’t feel like we played our best basketball, and credit Dowling who is a good basketball team. They did some things we didn’t respond too well and I’d like to think we’ll keep working at making corrections and getting better.”

Fontana said rebounding was an issue, especially in the first half, which led to a 14-point halftime deficit and getting “behind the 8-ball at halftime.” He added that poor shot selection and defense were also factors, and said the Jaguars need a better understanding of offensive flow.

“We have to shoot better than 30 percent,” he said. “At times we took shots that were good shots, but we also took some forced shots, quick shots. I’d like to think we’d use better judgment going forward. When you take a bad shot it’s like a turnover.”

Through two games, Centennial is led by senior point guard Hunter Strait, averaging 19.5 points per game.

Ankeny, Centennial girls off to solid starts

Both Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial girls’ basketball teams are off to very good starts after two full weeks of play. Both teams are 3-1 after dominant wins Friday night.

Through three games, Sara McCullough led Ankeny, averaging 12.7 points per game, while Chloe Olson paced Centennial with 11 points per game.

Wrestling hits the mat

Both Ankeny and Ankeny Centennial kick off their wrestling seasons this week with hopes of improving on middle-of-the-pack CIML finishes, and got off to promising starts. Thursday, Centennial took a 54-11 season-opening dual win at Marshalltown, while Ankeny traveled to Ottumwa for an easy 63-9 victory.

The Hawks competed in the Cliff Keen Independence Invitational, one of the top early-season tournaments in Iowa, while Centennial took part in Dallas Center-Grimes’ tournament Saturday.

The Jaguars will be very strong in the lower weights. Ben Monroe finished as the Class 3A runner-up at 106 pounds as a freshman last winter, while teammate Eric Owens is coming off a strong run at 113 pounds as a sophomore. He reached the 3A semifinals at 113 pounds and eventually finished in sixth place at the state meet.

Monroe begins the season ranked No. 4 in 3A at 126 per The Predicament, while Owens is No. 6 at 138. Sophomore Logan Neils checks in at No. 10 at 170, while senior Colin Honderd is No. 8 at 195. For Ankeny, freshman Caleb Rathjen is No. 2 at 113 pounds, junior Derek Anderson is No. 10 at 120.